I am sure that you all know that this is coming so let me get this out of the way. MORE FOOD???? It’s Day 12 and these castaways are munching down on biltong, nuts, raisins, and rusks - all to celebrate a tribe shuffle?
When we made the merge and even when we made it to the final four in my season, the traditional celebratory goodie box was not bestowed on us. We had NOTHING!! This season, everyone continues to complain of hunger yet food keeps coming to them like room service.
Seriously, I just can’t anymore with the Season 5 catering squad ...
Moving on to the much anticipated tribe shuffle this week. When I played this game, by far, my worst day on the island was Day 23 when my buddy Angela was voted off. (Basically, I have never felt so alone with so many odds stacked against me).
Hands down though, the second worst day of my Survivor journey was the day of the tribe shuffle. It’s like betting on a spinning roulette wheel and unfortunately, I’d be lying if I said that a little help from Lady Luck doesn’t get you further in the game.
The tribal shuffle turned the game upside down and I ended up forced to switch from my beloved Bajau tribe to Iban. I went from being in a strong alliance to being stranded on Iban with my arch nemesis, Rajesh. It completely derailed my strategy and forced me to rethink everything.
The Survivor SA Champions tribe shuffle was slightly different in the sense that the players, to a certain extent, were able to determine their own destiny (if they could figure it out). Stephen NAILED it!! He brilliantly maneuvered himself onto the tribe of his choice which enabled him to stick with his alliance members (and his arrogant coach).
Gena on the other hand didn’t quite crack that code. She was convinced that this was simply another normal challenge, completely unaware that her safety in the game had just been compromised. Compound this with the fact that Corne is clueless.
Besides all the issues I have with having coaches for each tribe, I am specifically annoyed with Corne’s total lack of appreciation for how this game is played. When he walked over to deliver David and Gena’s packed bags, why didn’t he just grab the microphone, hop on stage and be like: “Yo yo yo, listen up!! Yo Gena - check your bag girl. I just gave you the idol!!!” *drops mic*.
Zero tact. Zero discretion.
Unfortunately, I cannot hold Corne fully accountable for the ultimate outcome. Once Gena arrived at Utara’s camp as a new member, she then grabbed the mic and was like: “Yo yo yo, listen up!!! I’m going to get water with my new homie Stephen. While I’m gone, I’m leaving my bag right here by the flag. Go ahead and take the idol!!!”
She recklessly did not safeguard the only guaranteed lifeline that she had. Do I think that Utara stealing the idol was in good taste? No. Was it a brilliant move? Absolutely!! The person who deserves the most credit for being complicit in the theft was dear David.
After being pissed off when the challenge revealed what his tribe really thought about him, he immediately had an opportunity to capitalize on the fact that Gena was on the chopping block. Whilst I am continually perplexed by David’s immediate reaction to hide idols in his underwear, he did secure his safety and scored some points with his new tribe mates. Well done David. Welcome to Survivor Bru!!
Gena was the obvious choice to be the 7th person voted out this season. As an outsider, you are socially doomed. As an outsider with an idol that was stolen from you, it is SO game over. I tip my hat to you though Gena for being classy and composed. You played a good game and it’s a shame that maybe Lady Luck wasn’t quite on your side.
After the drama of the tribe shuffle, things were fairly uneventful back at Selatan’s camp. It was more or less business as usual with Zavion back to his old tricks, outshining everyone in challenges and hanging out in Corne’s back pocket.
Graham still has mucho grande swagger and my theory in last week’s blog that Altaaf is very well liked was confirmed. I must make mention of a new category of individuals that has emerged in my view. The floaters.
In my opinion, these are the players who are not really doing much to progress further in the game. They literally just float by. Sivu, Sonnette, Vel and even Buhle to a certain extent. It’s not a bad strategy actually. They do not draw much attention to themselves and they are not controversial characters. Eventually, some more thoughtful strategic moves will need to be made but for now, it’s working. And if it ain’t broke ...
Once again, big shout out to the production team. The quality of the show is of such a high standard and the challenges are awesome!!! Watching this season reminds me how much I love this game. Believe it or not, I STILL pinch myself sometimes because I can’t believe that I was lucky enough to get to play it :).
I hope all you Survivor fanatics keep watching!
Remember to follow me on twitter
@AmandaHoosen!!!